Can you plan creativity?
Here’s what he says, “ no matter where your ideas come from or what they look like, they all eventually pass through a particular aspect of yourself: the editor, the gatekeeper. This is who will determine the final expression of the work, regardless of how many selves were involved in its construction…….this editing is a demonstration of taste.” Rick Rubin looks like a younger Santa Claus with his white flowing beard and equally white mane.
Who is Rick Rubin again? He’s a music producer. He knows a thing or two about productivity, given that he has delivered countless hits, from Adele and Jay-Z to Neil Young. In this book, he offers us an opportunity to re-contextualise how we see the quality of our work. Advance warning- the 400 pages may seem like a tall order. Here are fun ideas from the book!
BookStrapping insights
As we move closer to the completion of a project, it can be helpful to drastically cut the work back to only what’s necessary, to conduct a ruthless edit.
Some artists fall in love with all the crafted material to the point where they resist letting go of an element even if the whole is better without it. Its always useful to simplify.
Creativity is not a rare ability but something available to all and fundamental to life. The entire universe is ready to cooperate.
The author offers tips on expanding awareness, including “looking at sunlight before screen light,” taking a cold shower, and opening a book “to a random page and reading the first line your eyes find.” Worth trying.
Some pages contain single points to ponder, such as: “The universe never explains why.” Or: “We are dealing in a magic realm. Nobody knows why or how it works.”
Towards the end, he says something very ordinary and yet very profound.
“You are you.
The work is the work
Each person in the audience is themselves. Uniquely so.”
That’s why, when its time to offer our work to others, we interrogate ourselves ruthlessly. Makes sense? Then share it with a friend and make the world a better place! 🙂
Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ On Twitter @OfficialReetaRG.